'Independence Day' Courtesy Everett Collection Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text In 1996, Independence Day caused a stir with a Super Bowl spot that showed an alien ship blowing up the White House. Executives at 20th Century Fox were nervous and even told director Roland Emmerich that simply wasn't something you could do in a national TV ad.